“I was hurt”: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s guest reveals 'shocking' Matt Kaulig call while celebrating wife’s birthday

Blake Koch, a former Xfinity Series driver, appeared in a recent episode of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR podcast. The 39-year-old Florida native, who used to drive the No. 11 Xfinity entry for Kaulig Racing, remembered being released from the team on a very short notice.

Koch joined Matt Kaulig's team in 2016, the same year when it was formed. and bagged his maiden top-10 finish at the Daytona International Speedway that year. He delivered five top-10 throughout the regular season and even qualified for the playoffs. The American continued his ride for another year before Ryan Truex replaced him in 2018.

Koch was hurt just because of how unexpected the news was. Speaking of the same, he told Dale Earnhardt Jr.:

"This was a shock. I was out to dinner for my wife's birthday on January 9th, 2018. Matt (Kaulig) called me and said, 'Hey, just wanna let you know... we're not gonna have you back. Press release is going out tomorrow.'"

"I was hurt," Matt Koch further explained. "I understand business so I would have understood if he would have told me before. It would have felt better."

Left without a ride or a sponsor, Koch spent the year serving as the coach for Matt Tifft. Additionally, he served as an analyst for "Blake's Take" on NASCAR Race Hub. Although he landed a ride with JD Motorsports the following year, Koch left the team by the end of January, aiming to grow his business with FilterTime.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s partnership with Blake Koch

The same year Blake Koch left JD Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepped up and joined him in a partnership for FilterTime. FilterTime is a brainchild company founded by Koch in 2017 that helps home and business owners with efficient purchase, installation, and replacement of air filters.

"I’m a homeowner, and I know how hard it can be to remember to change your filters on a regular basis," Earnhardt said in an interview from 2019. "FilterTime is a great concept, and Blake has a lot of enthusiasm for it, so I look forward to watching it grow and being partners with him on it."

Even Koch was elated to have the $300 million worth NASCAR Hall of Famer onboard.

"Dale was the partner that I wanted. His fan base is the typical FilterTime customer, the everyday person who works hard at maintaining his or her home," Koch exclaimed. "He’s the best at branding and marketing and has resources in Dirty Mo Media and JR Motorsports. He has a desire to win at everything he does."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the most prominent figures in NASCAR today. He co-owns JR Motorsports, a premier team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Dale Jr also owns the zMAX CARS Tour alongside Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Justin Marks.